4 Harmful Supplements To Avoid If You’re At Risk For Heart Disease: Ephedra, More

Supplements are a common and convenient addition to people’s diets to help them boost their health. While they can certainly benefit your overall wellbeing, some supplements could be hurting your heart health without you knowing.

Some of these risky supplements can cause irregular heart rhythms, high blood pressure , and even damage to the heart.

To learn more about four supplements that could pose a risk to your cardiovascular health, we checked in with health experts Ramit Singh Sambyal, MD, Robert Iafelice , MS, RDN, and registered nurse Lauren Thayer. They revealed that some of the ones to stay away from are fish oil without magnesium and licorice root . Read on to discover all four.

1. Fish oil without antioxidants

Fish oil is one of the more popular supplements due to its great benefits, such as reducing inflammation and lowering triglycerides. However, experts say that if you’re taking fish oil and it doesn’t contain antioxidants, it can be pretty risky for your cardiovascular health.

"While fish oil is very beneficial for cardiovascular health, it can be harmful," Iafelice says. Fish oil that isn't preserved with antioxidants like Vitamin C, E, or astanxanthin poses a risk, as "fish oil is extremely susceptible to rancidity and the production of toxic byproducts." Yikes!

For this reason, Iafelice says, you should "always be sure that your fish oil has antioxidants in it to protect it from rancidity."

2. Ephedra

Ephedra has actually been banned in dietary supplements since 2004 by the FDA. This ingredient is known to increase your heart rate, blood pressure, and other cardiovascular complications.

But Dr. Sambyal warns, “Despite this ban, some products may still have ephedra or its derivatives, like ma-huang in traditional Chinese medicine.”

He further adds that "this stimulant can increase blood pressure, heart rate, and metabolism. Ephedra can interact with blood pressure medications and other drugs such as caffeine and decongestants."

3. Calcium without magnesium

This is a lesser-known supplement fact that isn’t talked about often, but calcium and magnesium supplements need to be taken in balance. Magnesium aids in regulating calcium in the body and helps support heart functions, so taking these two together is best.

"Calcium and magnesium need to be in balance," Iafelice says. "Many people take calcium supplements that do not contain magnesium; this can result in a relative deficiency of magnesium, especially if the person is also eating a lot of dairy foods."

Iafelice adds that magnesium is also "essential for keeping the heart pumping with a normal heart rhythm" and "a lack of magnesium can lead to arrhythmias or Afib."

4. Licorice Root

Licorice root is usually taken for digestion issues and sore throats, but if you’re not getting enough magnesium along with it, it could end up harming your heart health.

Thayer also adds that “licorice root can be dangerous as it can also cause high blood pressure and decrease potassium levels, which can lead to life-threatening arrhythmias."